James Gurney

This daily weblog by Dinotopia creator James Gurney is for illustrators, plein-air painters, sketchers, comic artists, animators, art students, and writers. You'll find practical studio tips, insights into the making of the Dinotopia books, and first-hand reports from art schools and museums.

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or by email:gurneyjourney (at) gmail.comSorry, I can't give personal art advice or portfolio reviews. If you can, it's best to ask art questions in the blog comments.

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All images and text are copyright 2015 James Gurney and/or their respective owners. Dinotopia is a registered trademark of James Gurney. For use of text or images in traditional print media or for any commercial licensing rights, please email me for permission.

However, you can quote images or text without asking permission on your educational or non-commercial blog, website, or Facebook page as long as you give me credit and provide a link back. Students and teachers can also quote images or text for their non-commercial school activity. It's also OK to do an artistic copy of my paintings as a study exercise without asking permission.

Saturday, October 13, 2012

I never tire of the classic diner still life. There's always about a 15-20 minute time limit from when the order goes in to when the food is on the table. The time limit focuses the brain better than coffee does.

The humble catsup bottle, sugar shaker, napkin holder, and creamer are an interesting challenge to paint, because they offer a variety of transparent and reflective surfaces: stainless steel, glass, and paper. And there's the catsup creeping up the side of the bottle, backlit and warmed with transmitted light.

What interested me this time were the two colors of light on the subject. From the left was a cool light the window, which mostly looked out to the blue sky. The light inside was from a relatively warm compact fluorescent. So my first move after laying in the subject in pencil was to lay down a ghost wash to establish the overall cool and warm statement, being careful to paint around the highlights.

I hope all this make sense. I would show you a video, but I was too preoccupied to shoot one.

A couple of material questions, if you don't mind: I'm enjoying my Schminke half-pan set. But I'm a little concerned because I'm having trouble finding a source for replacement (or different) half-pan colors. Where do you get yours? It seems that the suppliers that sell the sets don't sell the individual half-pans (or pans).

Also, I know you use a small soft back to transport your field sketching materials. Inside that, do you have a small hard case for the protection of your brushes. That's another item I'm having trouble locating.

I really like your combination of loose washes with pencil definition, it's a great style and gives the eye a lot to look at. I primarily work in watercolor and have been doing it for a long time . . . and yet I still learn something new every time you do one of these. It's both inspiring and challenging, something for me to aspire to. Love that ketchup, too!

Thanks for blogging so faithfully. I know it's a big commitment on your part but it's so nice to take a break and see what you've been up to each day.

Tom, the half pans in most watercolor sets are interchangeable. I have some extras from a Lukas set that I've plugged into my Schmincke. You can also fit some full pans (which are twice as long) into the slots. But like you I've run out of some colors, so what I usually do is to squeeze some tube watercolor into the well to fill it up again.

Cale, it's hard to remember what I used in those mixtures, but probably raw sienna, ultramarine blue, and raw umber.

Thanks, Rich, Anon and Celeste.

Amelia, I'm so glad you're enjoying the daily posts, and thanks for taking the time to follow them and to comment.

David, this one was finished completely on the spot. After the meal I added a few touches of white gouache for the highlights I missed, especially on the creamer.